What is Senior Management Commitment ? 10/1/2017 What is Senior Management Commitment ? Adapted from: Sarah Sheard, Software Productivity Consortium. www.software.org

Agenda 5 Principles Establish a Common Vision Encourage Other Managers 10/1/2017 Agenda 5 Principles Establish a Common Vision Encourage Other Managers Support the Process Group Provide Resources Address Organizational Incompetence October 1, 2017

Why are senior managers important for PI ? They set the tone They commit resources They allocate priorities They model the new ‘behaviour’ They must insist on change at the top levels They must maintain attention over long term October 1, 2017

1. Establish a Common Vision Establish a common vision of an improved organization What the objectives are Improve quality, productivity, satisfaction, … What the organization will look like when they have been achieved Becoming a level 3 organization does not mean much to many employees October 1, 2017

1. Provide a Vision Do Communicate how PI initiatives work together 10/1/2017 1. Provide a Vision Do Communicate how PI initiatives work together Focus on quality, effectiveness, predictability, and satisfaction; levels are indicators of success Attribute problems to process ineffectiveness Establish reasonable priorities Don’t Expect practitioners to figure it out “We must achieve Level 3 by December” Blame the people performing the process Demand that programs satisfy conflicting priorities October 1, 2017

2. Encourage Other Managers Encourage Other Managers to take Process Improvement Seriously Lead by example Walk the talk Overcome resistance Remove managers who refuse to change Put PI objectives into the goals of every related manager October 1, 2017

2. Convince Other Managers 10/1/2017 2. Convince Other Managers Do Apply PI to yourself Have programs report PI status against goals Tell good and bad news Don’t “My work is an exception” Only the process group provides PI status Deny bad news October 1, 2017

3. Support the Process Group Support Process group in word and deed (i.e. action) Management must act in accordance with the stated goals Actions talk louder than words ! October 1, 2017

3. Support the Process Group 10/1/2017 3. Support the Process Group Don’t Put the team in substandard rooms and ask them not to bother the real workers “Just do it, don’t bother me with problems.” Let the team ‘go around’ the process Do Publicize support with posters, announcements, and continued attention Act on bad news from process group When customer wants to push, explain why the process must be followed October 1, 2017

4. Provide Resources In addition to investments in money, it requires: time to determine the needed changes time to implement change e.g. document and deploy (e.g. training) time to ensure that changes have taken hold October 1, 2017

10/1/2017 4. Provide Resources Do Involve the ones who will perform the new processes Allocate 2-3% of engineering staff Train the process group in process engineering Staff with senior and respected people Don’t Minimize the hours and number of people involved Allocate money only for assessments “Senior people ought to know engineering” Staff with people you can’t employ on projects October 1, 2017

5. Address Organizational Incompetence Based on Chris Argyris’s work 2000: Flawed Advice and the Management Trap Managers win by avoiding the potentially embarrassing or threatening Protects the organization from any substantial change October 1, 2017

5. Address Organizational Incompetence Examples of side-stepping and face saving behaviour: Rosy schedule syndrome Insisting on schedules that are not realistic Two schedules One to show to their boss The real schedule Shoot the messenger People fear repercussion for telling the truth No dirty laundry Making meetings into a ‘show’ where only safe topics can be discussed Embarrassing issues are not discussed October 1, 2017

5. Address Organizational Incompetence (cont’d) Test attributions, including own What do others say or do that make you think that? Address what is potentially embarrassing and threatening Require differences to be discussed in public, not off line This avoids making a mockery of meetings October 1, 2017

Summary Replace trying to win with trying to make the organization win You must make change possible Address what is real, what are real schedules, what are roadblocks, what is possible, measurable, and repeatable Envision the new organization and then lead the charge there October 1, 2017